More countries expel Russian diplomats, Moscow vows response
Over 100 Russians expelled worldwide in response to poisoning of former Russian spy; Kevin Corke reports from the White House.
World leaders are taking action after ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his adult daughter were allegedly poisoned by a nerve agent earlier this month. So far, at least 24 countries have announced the expulsion of 139 Russian diplomats.
The U.S. alone is kicking out at least 60 Russian intelligence officers. President Trump also ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle, senior administration officials said.
The news comes in the wake of the alleged attack on Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia, who remain in critical condition. They were found unconscious on a bench in a shopping mall in Salisbury on March 4.
The U.K. has pointed the finger for the alleged attack at Russia, which has strongly denied any involvement.
Read on for a look at the countries that have announced diplomatic measures against Russia.
Albania, 2
Albania is expelling two Russian diplomats, Reuters reported.
Australia, 2
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a March 27 statement that two diplomats were undeclared intelligence officers and have been given seven days to leave Australia.
Turnbull slammed the attack as "the first offensive use of chemical weapons in Europe since World War II."
He also called it "reckless and deliberate" conduct by Russia that harms global security and violates rules against the use of chemical weapons.
Canada, 4
Canada is kicking out four Russians and is denying three who have applied to enter the country, according to a March 26 statement from Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.
“The nerve agent attack in Salisbury, on the soil of Canada’s close partner and ally, is a despicable, heinous and reckless act, potentially endangering the lives of hundreds," she said.
Croatia, 1
One Russian diplomat is being expelled from the country.
Czech Republic, 3
Czech Foreign Minister Martin Stropnický tweeted that the country's foreign ministry called for “three diplomats and their family members [to] leave the territory of the Czech Republic by April 1st 2018 at the latest.”
Denmark, 2
“Today we informed the Russian ambassador, that we are expelling two Russian diplomats. It is a very extraordinary step, but the situation is also very extraordinary,” Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said in a March 26 statement.
Estonia, 1
The Twitter account for Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country has chosen to expel one Russian diplomat.
Finland, 1
Finland is expelling one diplomat.
France, 4
In a March 26 statement, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that “we have notified the Russian authorities of our decision to expel four Russian diplomats from French territory within one week.”
Germany, 4
The European nation said it would be expelling four Russians.
“To this day #Russia has shown no efforts to support investigations after the #Salisbury attack,” the German Foreign Office tweeted.
Hungary, 1
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Deputy State Secretary Tamás Menczer told MTI in a statement that the country "is expelling a Russian diplomat, who also performs espionage activities."
Italy, 2
Italy is kicking out “two officials of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Rome,” a March 26 statement read.
Latvia, 1
One Russian diplomat is being expelled, plus one Russian representative of a Russian company is being blacklisted.
Lithuania, 3
Three Russian diplomats are being expelled from the country.
Macedonia, 1
Macedonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted that one diplomat was being expelled.
Netherlands, 2
Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok tweeted that the country "decided to expel two Russian intelligence officers."
Norway, 1
“The use of a nerve agent in Salisbury is a very serious matter," Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said in a March 26 statement. "This is the first time a chemical weapon has been used on European soil since World War II. Such an incident must have consequences. Norway stands together with the United Kingdom, allies, partners and neighbouring countries."
Poland, 4
Four diplomats must leave the country by midnight April 3, according to Poland's foreign minister Jacek Czaputowicz.
Romania, 1
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted that it “declared one Russian diplomat persona non grata.”
Spain, 1
“From the outset, we have considered the nerve agent attack in Salisbury to be an extremely serious development that represents a significant threat to our collective security and to international law,” Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation tweeted.
Sweden, 1
The Swedish government said in a March 26 release that “we have today decided to expel a person from the staff of the Russian Embassy in Stockholm.”
"The Swedish Government has consistently expressed its full support for, and solidarity with, the United Kingdom in light of the attempted murders in Salisbury," it said.
Ukraine, 13
Ukraine, which has its own conflicts with Moscow, was expelling 13 Russians.
United Kingdom, 23
British Prime Minister Theresa May said March 12 that Russia is “highly likely” to be responsible for the poisoning.
May had given Russia until midnight on March 13 to respond to the charges. When Moscow failed to respond, May expelled 23 Russian diplomats from the U.K.
Russia later retaliated, ordering 23 British diplomats to be expelled on March 17.
United States, 60
President Donald Trump ordered 60 of its diplomats out of the U.S. — all of them spies, the White House said.
The U.S. called it the largest expulsion of Russian spies in American history, and, deeming it a counterintelligence threat, also shuttered Russia’s consulate in Seattle.
Fox News’ Kathleen Joyce, Katherine Lam, Travis Fedschun, Lucia I. Suarez Sang, Madeline Farber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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